“They’re Everywhere”: How People Are Fighting the Mouse Plague in Regional Australia
Rural areas on the East Coast of Australia are being ravaged by a mouse plague, the scale of which feels almost biblical. “They’re everywhere,” says Jackie Coe from Dunedoo in the beautiful Warrumbungle shire of NSW. “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Jackie runs a coffee shop out of the converted dining room of the picturesque heritage pub in Dunedoo, as well as a B & B cottage. “My biggest frustration is losing stock. The other day they got into our vege garden and ruined all the corn. They’re in the pantry. I can only imagine what the big supermarkets and farmers are experiencing.”
Waves and waves of mice have been washing across regional areas of Queensland and NSW for the past couple of months, triggered by a confluence of unique conditions. The switch from last year’s drought to a season of regular rain – plus an unusually large grain harvest – has provided rodents with ideal breeding grounds.
The mice are causing havoc for grocers and residents, plus farmers who are losing hundreds of thousands dollars’ worth of harvest and stock.
Alan Brown, a farmer in Wagga Wagga told The Guardian that “rats are at a nuisance level, but the mice are in plague proportions, particularly in the north and west and south-west of the state. They are causing serious problems now with people getting bitten.”
Jackie says she’s heard similar stories, particularly of one woman with a disability in Dunedoo suffering distress as mice have bitten her feet. They’re also being found floating en masse in swimming pools and in skimmer boxes.
Taking the Fight to the Mice
In desperation, people have been using traditional methods to try and catch the mice, such as steel traps and poisonous baits. Unfortunately, both methods can be problematic thanks to the secondary risks they pose to children and pets.
“We once had a cocker spaniel that died after eating several dead mice that had been poisoned by rodent baits,” says Jackie. “We’ve got lots of pets, including chickens, so we don’t want to take risks. I also saw recently that someone had put down sachets of Ratsak in the park, which is dangerous.”
The risk of secondary poisoning is particularly acute for farms and food businesses. Jackie has taken a different approach, installing Flick Pest Control’s SMART boxes in her home, B&B cottage and the coffee shop.
SMART is an intelligent digital system which uses data instead of poison to monitor for rodents, before trapping them with a non-toxic attractant. Flick monitors the system remotely, providing reports and adjusting the solution accordingly. It’s a method that’s particularly effective for large-scale areas or commercial warehouses and farms.
“It’s very effective, fantastic really,” says Jackie. “The boxes are easy to relocate and empty – although that’s not pleasant! We’ve caught 250 in the last month, with 70 in one night.”
With ideal breeding conditions in many rural areas, it looks like the mouse plague will get worse before it gets better. As Australia’s leading pest control business, Flick has a nationwide presence. If you’re suffering, get in touch with us today to find out how we can help.
Monitor for Pests 24/7
Traditional methods of pest control are proving ineffective and can be dangerous for children and pets. SMART Digital Pest Control uses data instead of poison – the sensors detect rodents and use a non-toxic attractant to trap them in catch boxes, monitoring 24/7. SMART removed the risk of secondary poisoning and provides you with round-the-clock protection.
Flick has developed two special packages which includes the following:
- Supply and Installation by a licensed pest professional
- Constant monitoring of alarms by Flick
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- Option to receive automated SMS alarms directly to your phone
- Daily/weekly communication to client regarding catches
- Monitoring the battery levels
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- Monthly health check visit to “Service” our units
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- Antibacterial wipe down and clean
- SMART System check
- Battery change when required
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